Title: Does the Qur'an Guarantee that Islam shall Prevail in the World? Question: Does the Qur'an guarantee that Islam shall prevail in the world, superseding all other religions (including Christianity)? I hear this suggestion during khutbahs often, and I was wondering if there was a legitimate textual basis for it. Please comment, offering citations as you see fit. Omar Sarwar Answer: The Qur'an does not entail any declaration of the general prevalence of Islam over all other religions of the world. The idea of the general prevalence of Islam over all other religions and creeds of the world is based on an incorrect generalization of a very specific prophesy of the Qur'an, which, in fact, is a part of the law of God relating to His Messenger, Muhammad (pbuh) [1] . In this prophesy, the Qur'an had predicted the dominance of the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers over the polytheists and all the other rejecters and had declared that soon God's true Deen would be the only dominant force in the Arabian Peninsula [2] . This prediction of the Qur'an was fulfilled within the life of the Messenger of God. However, some later commentators of the Qur'an have incorrectly interpreted this prediction to imply the ultimate dominance of Islam over the whole world. After the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions, the Qur'an has made no predictions or promises regarding the general domination of the Muslims over the other religions and creeds of the world. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad April 25, 2002 [1] This prophesy of the Qur'an is given in Al-Tawbah 9: 33, Al-Fatah 48: 28 and Al-Saff 61: 9. [2] For details, you may refer to one of my previous responses to a question, which is posted at: http://www.understanding-islam.org/related/text.asp?type=question&qid=358